Photographer Harry Quillen loved the circus, and during the 1940s, he enthusiastically captured the light-hearted spirit of the traveling show with his large format camera. After his death in 1972, his work was donated to the Circus World Museum in Wisconsin, but amongst his photographs of the aerialists, animals, clowns, and daily life in the tents and on the stages of the Clyde Beatty Circus...
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New Year lion in New Chinatown, [ca 1940s]. Harry Quillen Collection
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A Slice of Chinatown Life: Phoenix Bakery and the Strawberry Whipped Cream Cake
Long-time visitors of Chinatown will be very familiar with the storefront with Sing Song, a Tyrus Wong (1910-2016) drawn logo of a bashful little boy in a traditional Chinese haircut with a robe holding a box behind his bac
Interview With an Author: Douglas Westerbek
Douglas Westerbeke is a librarian who lives in Ohio and works at one of the largest libraries in the US.
Looking at Art: The Art of Advertising in Vintage California Business Directories
Vintage city directories contained alphabetized lists of the names of residents and their street addresses (if they existed). Additional information could include their occupation, spouse, property ownership, and, in certain instances, after 1879—telephone numbers.
Interview With AAPI Author Dr. Leana Wen
, Librarian, Monday, May 13, 2024
Dr. Leana Wen (pronounced Lee-nah) is an emergency physician and nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Read It First! Movie Adaptations in Theaters This Month
If you've heard it once, you've heard it a million times—the book was better! There's nothing like debating the differences between a favorite book and its translation to the screen.
The Amazing Legacy of Pierre Boulle’s Planet of the Apes
In the farthest reaches of space, a group of star travelers finds a message in a bottle that contains the record of another spaceship’s doomed voyage to a planet where apes are masters and humans are mute savages.
Not a Dragon, Not a Dog: A Guardian Lion
Curious about the guardian lion? The guardian lion, also known as Komainu, Shishi, or Fu Lion, symbolizes prosperity, success, and guardianship.
Looking at Art: Finely Printed Artists’ Works / Livres d’Artistes
In continuing the exploration of the history of the book through the holdings of Los Angeles Public Library’s Special Collections, this installment will cover the fine printing in paper form of artworks by famous artists.
Jewish American Heritage Month: Industry Trailblazers
The history of the Jewish community of Los Angeles began before California became a state: Jewish settler Jacob Frankfort arrived in 1841 while the region was still a Spanish colony.
The Book in Your Hand Talks!
There’s a collection at the Los Angeles Public Library we’d like to introduce you to, Vox talking books! If you’ve ever hunted for an audiobook to try to match a book or if your child has maxed out their screen time but you still need to cook a meal, this might be perfect for you and your family.